Kirkby Stephen to Keld - into Yorkshire Day 8

From Kirkby Stephen the Coast to Coast route rises fairly steeply onto the Pennines. This is a significant day on the walk because when we get to Keld we are half way across England. We also leave Cumbria and enter Yorkshire for the remainder of our trip. The Pennines form the watershed of northern England so after today the rivers will be flowing in the direction we are walking, eastwards. In particular, the Swale rises from the Pennines near the route and we will follow its delightful valley for several days.

However the crossing of the Pennines is notorious for the peat bogs over the top of Nine Standards Rigg. From before Day 1 we had been warned of the possibility of being knee deep here. This is usually a day for good equipment, sound physical condition, plenty of resolution and a slice of good humour (they suggest the tallest member of the party goes first so the others can step on that person's head!) Full length gaiters were certainly recommended.

Nine Standards Rigg gets its name from the mysterious dry stone constructions on its 665m peak. These nine feature are all about 3-4 metres high and are evenly set in a line over a distance of about 50m. They are visible on the hill crest for several miles. Their origin is uncertain which is handy for creating intrigue and allows some fanciful theories to be put forward, such as the suggestion that they were built to fool potential Scottish invaders (ha!)

We snacked at Nine Standards and went forward with some trepidation down the peat slope on the other side. My left knee was troubling me a little and the uneven ground didn't help. However, once again we were lucky with the weather. Significant rain was supposed to arrive today after a week of glorious, sunny days. Certainly it was cooler but the rain held off for most of the day, with just a few showers later in the afternoon. All this fine warm weather meant the peat bogs were relatively dry. They were soft and "puggy" but as long as we watched our step we were unlikely to slide in up to our ankles ... or beyond.

The signpost over Nine Standards Rigg ... it's unapproachable in the wet!

We eventually arrived at Ravenseat Farm on the edge of the moors where Amanda, an enterprising young farming wife, brought us out tea and cake. Amanda was interviewed by the BBC's Julia Bradbury and appears on the BBC Coast to Coast DVD so we were hoping we could catch up with her. Besides we were more than ready for a cup of tea.

Ravenseat Farm

Amanda and Genevieve at Ravenseat Farm

As we neared the sealed road about a kilometre from Keld I was just beginning to congratulate myself on having negotiated the bogs and staying relatively dry and unscathed when I slipped in a slimy ditch and jolted my sore left knee. Apart from the indignity of having mud oozing through my right boot it meant a painful hobble into Keld. My left knee felt unstable and I was having difficulty taking any weight or exerting upward force. It felt as though I had damaged a ligament and I wondered whether the half way point might be as far as I would get. A shower and a pint at Keld Lodge lifted the spirits a little.

Keld is a tiny hamlet in bleak surroundings with only 28 inhabitants, most of whom seem to be associated with the three B&B lodges / bunkhouses that make it such a valuable point on the Coast to Coast route. Keld Lodge was a YHA hostel until a few years ago but has now been converted into a well appointed licensed lodge by Tony Leete and his wife. They seem to have made a canny investment as they are at the junction of two of the most popular routes in Britain - the Coast to Coast and the Pennines Way.

We leave Keld Lodge with the Packhorse van already on the job, collecting our bags

If you do get the chance to stay there (and there aren't too many alternatives) make sure you try the Banana Curry Soup. It's not the sort of thing you expect to find out on the Yorkshire moors but it was absolutely delicious. Unfortunately the chef insisted the recipe was a closely guarded secret and the only information Gen was able to extract from her was that each batch had 50 bananas in it!

We learned some days later that conditions became very bad on Nine Standards Rigg a day or so after we had made the crossing. We heard of two fit and experienced walkers who literally had to crawl on their hands and knees as nearly horizontal hail belted them "like machine gun bullets"!
[Postscript: we later met these two lads who agreed it had been difficult but they thought the story had grown a bit in the re-telling!]